The invention relates to a device for the automated processing of workpieces, particularly electrical printed circuit boards by means of at least one manipulation means with a movable gripper for the workpieces, whereby the device comprises at least one workstation and a further station at its two sides.
It is conventional to pick up workpieces, for example by a robot, in an input station and to transport them from there to a workstation and from there to an output station, whereby the stations are essentially situated in a plane. In order to be able to carry out the processing processes at different locations of the workpiece, it must be freely positionable in the workstation. This is achieve in that the workpiece is held and correspondingly moved by a gripper of the robot during the processing. The total cycle time is determined by the time outlay of the loading, forward transport, return transport and unloading.
The invention is based on the object of increasing the throughput of the device.
This object is achieved by an apparatus having a workstation located between an input station and an output station. The apparatus includes two independently operated manipulation means or devices which have a movable gripper for directly or indirectly holding a workpiece. The processing position of the workpiece in the workstation is controlled by the displacement of the gripper which extends essentially in one plane between one of the input and output stations and overlap in the workstation so that the workpiece is transferred from the input station to the workstation by one gripper, then gripped by both grippers and later taken from the workstation to the output station by the other gripper; and The workpiece can be fashioned as a plurality of electrical chip carriers, for example, which are combined in a multi-up to a printed circuit board, which is immediately held by a gripper. It is also possible to incorporate the individual chip carriers into a workpiece carrier, which is seized by the gripper as well as the printed circuit board. The workstation can comprise a laser unit, for example, under which laser beam the chip carriers are successively processed.
The processing content of the workpiece or, respectively, of the workpiece carrier is now distributed to the two manipulation means by the gripper changeover in the work station. As soon as the second gripper has accepted the workpiece, the first gripper can move toward a loading station, can pick up a new workplace and can return to the work station, while the preceding workpiece held in the other manipulation means is processed. After its processing has been completed, it can be moved toward an unloading station and the waiting workpiece can be led into the processing area of the workstation. Subsequent to the unloading, the second gripper can be promptly moved back again to the workstation and can accept the half-finished workpiece or, respectively, the workpiece carrier there. It is thus possible to process the workpieces in the device almost without any interruption and to correspondingly increase the throughput.
The work content of the workpiece can be evenly distributed to both handling systems, so that there is approximately the same time for the moving processes and loading or, respectively, unloading process.
The device only requires a longitudinal guide, whereby this is particularly advantageous with respect to a linear motor drive, whose magnetic track can be utilized by both manipulation means.
As a result of the transverse guide, it is possible to move the workpiece in the workstation in two coordinate directions and to correspondingly process it.
includes a transverse transport device extended between the input and output stations. The workpiece carriers can be moved in one single working plane, so that the construction of the device and the handling of the workpiece carriers is advantageous.
The working plane is also extended to the transport path, so that the grippers can act without a lifting displacement. Such a system can manage with only three workpiece carriers, for example, which are picked up in a circulatory fashion, are forwarded from the workstation to the output station, are deposited at the output station and are transported back to the loading station. The transverse displacement of the grippers is thereby not only utilized for the processing processes but also for the transverse transport, so that the transport path can linearly extend in the plane of the grippers.